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How to get toBeachesby train

“Oh I do love to be beside the seaside”… As the days get longer and the sun feels warmer, we all want to head for the coast. But an overheated car is the least appealing way to get there. Here are ten beaches you don’t have to drive to. And once you get there - more options for exploring by bus, boat or on foot.

Please note: researched/updated June 2018. If anything’s changed or you have tips to share, do get in touch: features@goodjourney.org.uk

1. Newquay and Par

With a dozen sandy beaches at the far end, the Atlantic Coast Line (one of Cornwall’s scenic community railways), is a little branch line that runs from Par to Newquay, three quarters of an hour away across cotton-grassed Goss Moor.

Par station is on the main GWR line from Paddington and the soft, white expanses of Par Sands Beach are a 20-minute walk from the station.

From the station, follow the path past the athletics track and keep on in this direction to Par Green (the Roseland Observatory is nearby). From here, you can pick up signs for the South West Coat Path and follow them to the beach.

From the Newquay end of the branch line, the seaside is just two minutes from the train and there are twelve sandy beaches to chose from.

Closest to Newquay station is the Great Western Beach, with its coves and nearby cafés: simply turn right on Cliff Road to the Great Western Hotel and turn left down the tarmac path just before it. At low tide you can walk along the sand to neighbouring Tolcarne beach and explore the rock pools left behind by the retreating sea.

Newquay’s beaches offer something for everyone: surfers can head along the South West Coast Path to famous Fistral Beach, where you can hire boards and wetsuits.

For a spectacular sample of the coast path’s delights, hike the mile from Fistral, past craggy Lewinnick Cove to the steep-sided River Gannel for crab sarnies and homemade cakes at the Fern Pit café above the tidal ferry. Or just relax on the sheltered sand of the tiny, surf-free Harbour Beach and eat fish and chips as the sun sets.

Ask the guard to stop at Luxulyan and wander past the village church, through mossy oaks and fern-fringed waterways to the monumental Treffry viaduct, a mile from the station. Towering thirty metres over the wooded path, this huge granite bridge is the centrepiece of an extraordinary post-industrial valley turned fairy tale glen, where foxgloves and spring bluebells sprout beside old tramlines and forgotten cascades.

2. Weymouth

There are royal connections in this iconic Dorset town: when George III went famously mad, his doctor sent him to Weymouth as “the Resort of many people of the first Distinction”.

Turn right out of the station onto Queen Street, past the Railway Tavern, and left into King Street to see the clock tower ahead of you on the Esplanade. This bright red landmark commemorates Queen Victoria’s jubilee in 1887.

There’s a statue of Queen Victoria to the left, Rossi’s Ice Cream parlour (opened the year Victoria became queen) just a few paces to the right and – ahead of you – Weymouth’s famously long and sandy beach.

Continue right towards the ferries and attractions at the south end of the beach and you’ll soon pass a statue of George III, who made Weymouth fashionable with his love of swimming in the sea. There’s a replica of his bathing machine nearby, a sort of beach hut on wheels.

From the King’s Statue, you can hop on the X53 towards Axminster and enjoy one of Britain’s top scenic bus rides, along the picturesque Jurassic Coast, taking you to other Dorset beaches like West Bay – the real life Broadchurch!

3. Brighton and beyond

There’s more Georgian seaside splendour in sunny Sussex. It was George IV who made Brighton fashionable, building the ornate Royal Pavilion as his Regency beach hut.

Trains from Victoria Station in London take an hour to get to Brighton and the beach is a ten-minute walk downhill.

Walk straight ahead out of the railway station along Queens Road and you’ll soon see the water shimmering ahead of you and, at sunset, huge murmurations of starlings circling mesmerisingly over the old pier.

A scenic coastal bus ride away on the 12X is elegant Eastbourne. On the way, soon after Seaford, the bus stops at Exceat beside the Severn Sisters Visitor Centre and Saltmarsh Cafe. From here you can follow a meandering estuary down to the sea or walk ten miles over the lighthouse-topped Seven Sisters – one of England’s best cliff-top walks.

4. Sunshine Coast Line

The railway from Colchester to Clacton, branded the Sunshine Coast Line, gets support from a keen community rail group. They’ve produced a guide to the line.

Clacton Pier, with its arcades and fairground rides, its circus and seaquarium, is exciting enough to brighten even the rainiest holiday.

The other branch of the Sunshine Coast Line heads for Frinton and Walton-on-the-Naze, where you can stroll along the sands or climb the 18th century viewing tower.

5. Cromer

The railway line leading to Cromer also has an appealing identity: the Bittern line, running from Norwich to Cromer and Sheringham, through some lovely countryside. Cromer has sandy beaches, a traditional pier and plenty of seaside entertainment.

Norfolk County Council has produced a booklet of walks to help you enjoy the countryside around Bittern Line by train, including a 7-mile route from Roughton Road to Cromer if you’re feeling energetic. This leads you through Cromer’s Overstrand with a choice of routes: along the beach at low tide or over the cliffs when the tide high.

On the higher route, you’ll pass the Cliff top café, and on both routes, nearer the beach, you’ll find the Rocket House Café, serving excellent full English breakfasts.

More simply, it’s not far from Cromer station directly to the beach and pier. Turn right along the seafront to reach the Overstrand, passing a memorial to Henry Blogg (“the greatest lifeboatman of all time”). Cromer’s first lifeboat station opened in 1804 and the Lifeboat Museum is named after Blogg.

This is a curiously haunted stretch of coast: listen out for the sound of bells from a village lost to coastal erosion in the 15th century and look out for Black Shuck, a fearsome ghost-dog who haunts the Overstrand in stormy weather.

The wonderful Coasthopper bus route from Cromer all the way to King’s Lynn is currently run by a partnership between two local companies and provides one of Britain’s best scenic bus rides.

Hop off at Hunstanton to enjoy striped cliffs, rock pools, wading birds and old fashioned cafes.

6. Scarborough and Whitby

The sandy beaches along the east coast of Yorkshire are the stuff of nostalgia: ice creams and donkey rides, boat trips and beach huts. Castle-topped Scarborough is a lovely place for a sunny stroll. Wrought-iron bridges link gardens, full of winding wooded pathways, and promenades overlooking the sparkling sea.

You can ride down to Scarborough beach on a tram from the top of the cliffs, less than ten minutes from the station. It costs just £1 and the views on the way are great.

There are fresh-off-the-boat crab sarnies available from kiosks near the beach and you can climb up to the castle for views of town, sea and countryside.

A scenic bus ride away in Whitby, there’s the ruined abbey that inspired Bram Stoker’s Dracula, boat trips around the harbour and famously tasty fish and chips. Work up an appetite with a climb to the headland or a swim from the mile-long sands.

For more car-free adventures in the area, see our feature on Scarborough and Whitby.

7. Portobello, Edinburgh

The relatively new Waverley-Tweedbank railway line from Tweedbank has been a bonus for commuters living in the bohemian “Porty beach” area of Edinburgh. And it’s good for visitors to the city too, looking to escape the festival crowds in August, for instance, in favour of a day at the beach.

Turn right out of Brunstane station (pronounced “Broonstun”) and walk for fifteen minutes. You’ll find the beach ahead of you.

Turn left along the seafront to find the popular Esplanade bar (known locally as “the Espy”).

Several buses also run from nearby Portobello High Street into central Edinburgh.

8. Blackpool

Sticks of rock and kiss-me-quick hats, winter lights and summer fun – Blackpool pleasure beach is the ultimate seaside destination if you’re looking for the too-often-forgotten flavour of childhood holidays.

9. Barmouth and Aberdyfi

The west coast of Wales has some brilliant beaches. The Cambrian Line, one of the UK’s top scenic routes, divides at Dyfi Junction with one line heading for Aberystwyth and the other running up the coast all the way to Pwllheli on the Llyn Peninsula. The seaside town of Barmouth, with its Victorian cottages and steep, winding alleys, its classic seafront and spectacular viaduct, makes a great base.